Books, arts and culture

The Globe to Globe festival

Tangling tongues

APRIL 23rd, the presumed birthday of William Shakespeare, saw the launch in London of the World Shakespeare Festival, a big, international programme to celebrate the Bard. Produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company, the festival is designed to give an international flair to a national treasure, to complement the Olympic games. The most-talked about bit is the Globe to Globe festival at Shakespeare's Globe theatre, where 37 companies from around the world are performing all 37 of Shakespeare's plays in different languages over the course of six hectic weeks. It is the most ambitious programme of work the theatre has ever staged.

The team at the Globe, led by Dominic Dromgoole, the artistic director, and Tom Bird, the programme director, have made some brave and inspired choices. The national theatres of Albania, Macedonia and Serbia, for example, are performing a Balkan trilogy of the Henry VI plays, marking the first time the dramas will be staged at Shakespeare's Globe. Belarus Free Theatre, a company banned in Belarus and run by artists with political-refugee status in Britain, will be presenting "King Lear" in Belarusian. The South Sudan Theatre Company, a group specially formed for Globe to Globe, will represent the world's newest nation state with a Juba Arabic production of "Cymbeline"; it will be the first ever Shakespeare play in Juba Arabic. The list goes on. (Pictured: New Zealand's Ngakau Toa theatre company performing "Troilus and Cressida" last night.)

It's an undeniably exciting undertaking, both for Shakespeare aficionados and for migrant communities in London who are rarely given the opportunity to celebrate their culture on such a high-profile platform. But not every element of the programme has been well received. The Globe has received two open letters about the inclusion of Habima, an Israeli national theatre company, which is scheduled to perform "The Merchant of Venice" in Hebrew in May.

The first, from Boycott from Within, a campaign group comprised of “Palestinians, Jews, citizens of Israel”, argues that the theatre appears to be condoning Israel's illegal settlements in the West Bank by including a troupe that sometimes performs there. The second was sent to the Guardian newspaper in late March by a group of British theatre-makers, including Mark Rylance, an actor and the founding artistic director of Shakespeare's Globe. It calls upon the theatre to withdraw Habima's invitation altogether.

In a statement issued in response to Boycott from Within in January, the Globe commented that the festival will be “a celebration of languages” rather than “a celebration of nations or states”. As Habima is the best-known Hebrew language theatre company in the world, the company's involvement in Globe to Globe is appropriate, the statement continued. And once one starts actively excluding companies, it added, where does one stop? (No further statement has been made since the Rylance letter was published.)

It is easy to share the Globe's feeling that “people meeting and talking and exchanging views is preferable to isolation and silence”. But there is something disingenuous—or naïve, or both—about the way in which the theatre has defended its decision. For many of the companies taking part in Globe to Globe—including Habima, whose general manager, Odelia Friedman, described the company's invitation as “an honorable accomplishment for the State of Israel”—language and national or cultural identity are inextricably linked. Whether the team at the Globe intend this or not, a festival of this stature is a stamp of approval for what a culture is projecting about itself.

Ashtar Theatre, which will be performing "Richard II" in Palestinian Arabic, is a pertinent example. Iman Aoun, the artistic director of the Ramallah-based company, pointed out in an interview that “theatre is a strong tool for raising awareness...We are ambassadors of our people and ambassadors of our culture and the stories of our people: how they live and how they struggle for their being.” She adds: "No matter how hard it is here for us as Palestinians under occupation, Palestinian theatre and Palestinian culture are really able to compete on the world stage”.

Ms Aoun was initially reticent to discuss Habima. She is weary of those who consider Ashtar as a point of contrast with Habima rather than as a group in its own right. But since the publication of the letter in the Guardian, which helped spark a larger debate in the media, she has agreed to be quoted: “It is a relief to know that some UK artists are supporting our cause and the boycott campaign. In fact they are playing an important role in raising public awareness about the atrocities of Israel and its apartheid regime.”

Of course the Globe actively included some companies and actively excluded others. The Balkan trilogy is a fascinating piece of programming because of the region's complex, tragic past; substituting a French national theatre company for the Albanian one would have made for a far less interesting story. Putting Habima and Ashtar Theatre on the same bill is no different. The question is, why is the Globe trying to pretend that politics and theatre have nothing to do with each other, when it's obvious to all concerned that they do. The World Shakespeare Festival takes place through November 2012; Globe to Globe runs at Shakespeare's Globe until June 9th

Readers' comments

What a bit of anti-semitism!
The Jewish Habima should be excluded, as it represents the state of Israel, yet the Ashtar company, which represents the Palestinians and their daily terror attacks is fine?
Talk about disingenuous! The Economist is implying here that Israel conducts 'atrocities' (which it does not of course), and that th 36 other nations represented here (including the Palestinian authority) are above reproach.

If the Economist wants to smear Israel and help those who want to boycott it, at least let it have the decency to say so out loud.

You begin with a shadow of a point, then rapidly lose your way. The greatest error is citing "daily terror attacks." Although the Fatah government has many shortcomings, I am unaware of "daily terror attacks" emanating from Ramallah. Could you provide any information to validate your claim in this regard?

As for the comment on Israeli atrocities which you appear to view as an a priori absurdity, I would recommend a casual perusal of the Goldstone report, as provided by the Human Rights Council. In particular I would point to the use of civilians, including children, as human shields (pages 315-316 and 535) and a general overview of the excesses in terms of combat operations of the IDF (beginning page 533) including the use of flechettes and white phosphorus in urban areas.

The recent act by Netanyahu of legitimizing clearly illegal settlements is freshly in everyone's mind, and the impotency of both international opinion and international legislative bodies is the likely starting point for a call for censorship which, admittedly, has a tinge of hypocrisy. To twist that into rabid anti-Semitism is a stretch.

In 2008, PACBI published a sample contract that Israeli artists signed with their government when the artist was “invited” to an international event. The contract text reveals, interestingly, that this is not an “invitation” at all, but rather that it is the Israeli government that is inviting itself to international events. The artist is paid with a plane ticket, shipping fees, hotel and expenses by his/her own government. The contract does not assume any funding from the “host” country. In return, the template states:

“The service provider is aware that the purpose of ordering services from him is to promote the policy interests of the state of Israel via culture and art including contributing to creating a positive image for Israel.”

Yet…

“The service provider will not present himself as an agent, emissary and/or representative of the Ministry.”

Thus, the comparisons between Ashtar and Habina are disingenuous. Habina's contribution to the Globe to Globe festival is bought and paid for by the State of Israel.

Of course you can't separate politics from theatre anymore than separating stupidity from free speech. The Globe is right-on including both companies. How about a more intelligent debate as to how Habima sees Shylock, or Ashtar portrays Bolingbroke?

Perhaps I just lack the requisite artistic intensity for this endeavor, but *who* is the intended audience for these plays? Even if put on as a public service, I personally would have a hard time sitting though even the greatest of Shakespearean dramas if it was spoken in an unintelligible language, for the expressive language of Shakespeare is the core of what Shakespearean plays are all about.

That aside, is it expected that the local migrant communities will fill the theatre when their own cultural offering is on? Will the London Shakespearean aficionados block the streets lining to get in? Or will these players be performing to the same set of government functionaries bussed from one play to the next? How is the whole cultural extravaganza expected to work?

Yeah, it's paid by the State of Israel... and so what? Other's are paid by the Government of the Moon, or what?
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Commenter 'unattachednz', for instance, commends the including of a New Zealand Maori troupe in the festival. Did you checked out if the troupe represents the secession movement which prefers violent way to achieve the so called Maori independence?
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Should it be excluded, too?

Kia ora for recognising the value of & presence of tangata whenua in London at this mighty celebration alongside the 36 countries that are appearing at the Globe Theatre. We are proud & delighted at their 'being there' & of course their performance & commitment.

The daily terror attacks occur as simply as it sounds - daily.
Even today, in the midts of the Independence Day festivities, the Palestinian terrorist fired a rocket, aimed at Israeli civilians. your point of diffrentiation between the Fatach goverment and the Hamas goverment only goes so far, as the first supplies a lot of the money and moral support in this to the second, who actually fires. As an Israeli, you will forgive me if I am less inclined to distiguish between which faction does what, especially in a discussion that is at the level of the State of Israel and the Palestinian Authority (which claims to represent and speak for the Gaza strip too!).
Maybe more to the point, feel free to ask the Ashtar theater company if they only represent the Fatach, or if they represent ALL palestinians.

As to the Goldstone report..
This report was commissioned by the Human Rights Council, which had such stalwarth human rights countries as Libya and Saudi Arabia devise it (and of course, both are declared enemies of Israel).
The report itself was written (after Israel refused to have anything to do with it) by intervewing... HAMAS!
That's right, the commision talked to the terror organization fighting to destroy Israel, and asked them what they thought of their enemy's conduct.
The three commission members included two previously declared anti-Israel activists, and Judge Goldstone who headed it.

After it came out, it raised such a hue and cry of being so obviously false, that even the Judge excused himself from his signature on it and distanced himself from it.

Finally, to your point of the Settlements.
I frankly don't understand what is illegal about it.
The territories in question were never, ever under Palestinian control, and until there a peace agreement it is at most a 'no man's land', even though the Israelis have the claim of history to them. Also, please note that Israel has repeatedly demonstrated its willingness to remove settlements if a peace agreement could be reached (in the Sinai desert with Egypt, and the failed attempt to reach the same with the Palestinians as Israel removed its settlements there).

Vlad, thanks! As to limited audiences, I wonder how many would go from Vlad (Tepis) to Stoker to Henry Irving to Shylock.

Irving was the first actor to be knighted in recognition of, among other things, his portrayal of Shylock. Stoker was his agent.

I think that art is impossible to separate from politics, but I will try to mention some things related to plays and a few side notes.

The portrayal of Shylock has varied over the years with much variation. Interestingly, the association with Yiddish might be inaccurate since in Venice, Shylock's language at home might have been Ladino. Venice is important because the word Ghetto may derive from the Venetian word, ghèto, which was an actual place.

"To be or Not to be," is a fictionalized account of the Yiddish Theatre in Warsaw, notably with a Jewish actor confronting Hitler with Shylock's "Hath not a Jew eyes? " speech.

Finally, as to the audience for multiple languages, I mention Sholem Aleichem, who was an impassioned advocate both for Zionism and the use of Yiddish as a language uniting Jews worldwide.

His epistolary novel, Marienbad, consisted of 36 letters, written to and from rich Jewish mothers from Warsaw. They were vacationing in Marienbad and trying to marry off their daughters. As I remember, the letters were written in Polish, Russian, Yiddish and Ukrainian. There may have been more languages. I'm looking for a copy in the original languages.

I don't remember Hebrew, but Alechem did write professionally in that language as well.

To the commentators who 'just want to enjoy the art' without the inconvenience of thinking about the social contexts in which the plays are produced - frankly you dont deserve the plays or any other art. Art and ethics should be inseperable.

As for the nonsense in above comments regarding "daily terror", lets be clear: Israel has been occupying and colonising Palestinian land for decades (and not the other way round) and in order maintain this military occupation it uses force and violates fundamental human rights of the Palestinian population who live under siege conditions. Now the theatre makes itself complicit by touring the colonies in true apartheid style.

To the commentators who 'just want to enjoy the art' without the inconvenience of thinking about the social contexts in which the plays are produced - frankly you dont deserve the plays or any other art.

Lets be clear: Israel is occupying and colonising Palestinian land (not the other way round) and in order maintain this occupation it uses force and violates fundamental human rights of non-Jewish population.
So let's be neutral about this and stick to old fashioned ideas such as: upholding international law and human rights conventions. The Israeli theatre company has violated both. None of the other theatre companies at the Globe have done this.

Arts and ethics are very separable indeed. And ethic itself is a very relative phenomenon: that which is ethical for you (for instance, blowing up discotheques full of teenagers), is a crime of terrorism for any normal people.
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But even so you deserve some kind of art - North Korean gala celebrating eternal glory of Kim Il-sung.

lautrement. Did you not know that Goldstone withdrew much of his report subsequent to further information being made available to him? By the way just because some people see Israel's settlement of the disputed territories as illegal, doesn't actually make them so. They were areas of land designated to become part of a Palestinian homeland which the Palestinians have consistantly refused to accept. In the absence of acceptance by them it remains "disputed land" just as it was during Jordanian, British, Turkish, and a host of other occupiers of the Jewish kingdoms of Israel and Judea.